Author's Note: I decided to continue this. It's not going to necessarily be a pleasant story—one of the topics discussed, after all, is going to be infidelity—but I've been wanting to explore something like this for a while. And to write more sex. So it's a win-win situation for me~ *laughs*

Ciel knew that it wasn't uncommon for lords to have mistresses after marriage. It wasn't uncommon, but it was also something that wasn't talked about aloud in Polite Society; it was the secret that lingered in the underbelly of the Ton, fattening itself up through scandal and the hidden lives of its members, the lives that went on behind closed doors. The irony and the hypocrisy that came between the deviation of the appearances—the way that each member of Society presented him or herself and the true person when alone… it was sickening, that hypocrisy.

And Ciel had been indulging in it since he had inherited the role of being the Queen's Watchdog. Public and private, two universes that were constantly battling with one another—a war that waged on within his very being, a much more drastic fight that had higher stakes than the conflicts that other members of the Ton had to endure.

Public versus private: such a sharp, razor-edged distinction between the two.

The teen's eyes lidded, and Ciel trailed a fingertip idly along the edge of his cup of tea; lost in thought, his gaze barely bothered to flicker up as the library door opened. The Phantomhive heir knew that it would be Sebastian, the butler coming to collect the cutlery that had been used for Ciel's afternoon snack.

There—he saw the edges of Sebastian's coattails, and Ciel pushed the cup closer to the edge of his study's desk, waiting for the demon to enter into the room to retrieve the various things so that the top would once more be clear and Ciel could, also, once more return to his work.

The boy's surprise came as Sebastian bowed low and opened the door further, ushering in Edward Middleford—Ciel's new brother-in-law. And, also, Ciel's new lover.

The two stared at each one for a long moment that stretched out and stretched out, finally coming to a close by the soft 'click' of the study's door closing and locking securely so that the two might be undisturbed during this particular… encounter. The silence stretched on and, not surprisingly, it was Edward who broke the silence first. "I just got back from congratulating my little sister in becoming the new Lady Phantomhive."

"Ah, yes," Ciel murmured in answer, crossing one leg over the other before giving Edward a bemused look that bordered, just barely, on becoming sardonic. "Lizzie was rather upset that you couldn't make it to the wedding yesterday. Interesting, though: the fact that you had to be called away on business right before the ceremony began."

Edward scowled at that and glanced away, arms wrapped defensively around his middle as he refused to acknowledge that particular statement, that particular observation, of Ciel's. In answer, however, the blue-eyed Phantomhive didn't bother to stifle his low chuckle before continuing: "Jealousy doesn't suit you, brother."

"Don't call me that," the white-blonde elder snapped out before moving forward to take what they both knew he had come here for. He pressed close to Ciel, one hand reaching up to bury in the younger teen's dark hair: cupping the back of the other's head, he drew Ciel closer as their kiss deepened.

But there were hidden depths to Ciel that Edward wasn't yet aware of.

And the refusal in being conquered was just one of Ciel's hidden aspects.

As the younger teen allowed his lips to be parted, Ciel surged up in his chair and shifted to push Edward back against the top of his desk; it didn't take much to pin the elder with his mouth, with his body, and it was Ciel who took control of the kiss to plunge his tongue into the wet warmth of Edward's mouth, teasingly tracing the edges of the blonde's teeth and making his cousin moan in response.

In everything that he did, Ciel's will was indomitable: using his lithe form, the blue-eyed Phantomhive balanced his weight to keep Edward pinned as the kiss continued to progress; all the while, he kept control—a clinical distance that would allow him to gauge his brother-in-law's reactions. Seeing, very carefully, what it was that aroused Edward to distraction… and then ruthlessly taking advantage of those proffered weaknesses.

Ciel's teeth scraped over the bend of Edward's throat, biting down roughly and sucking at the already-reddening skin. In a way, the mark that would be left would be a compromise to mellow out the jealousy that had forced Edward to leave before the wedding between Ciel and Lizzie could take place; this way, there would be some physical proof that he and Ciel were linked, intimately.

While it wasn't the ring that Lizzie had on her finger, it was at least some sort of compensation for Edward.

The older teen gasped out at the pleasure, eyes going heavy-lidded with his arousal; arching upwards into Ciel's slimmer body, he shifted so that their hips pressed snugly to one another's. The blonde's reward came when Ciel gave a quiet sound of surprise that threaded through with desire, and Edward pressed closer still to elicit another one of those sounds from the Phantomhive heir.

Ciel had always been so beautiful, had always sweetly followed Edward around when they were younger—arms open wide and giggling out the elder's name, begging his cousin to join him and Lizzie in some sort of game or another. When they were younger, Ciel had always been the one to tag after Edward. Now that they were older, however, the blonde was surprised to find that their positions had changed—now, forever and always, following after Ciel, subtly trying to catch the younger boy's attention in whatever way he could.

But here—oh, here—he had Ciel's complete attention upon him, the other teen's arousal pressed snugly against his own, lips against Edward's throat, and making soft sounds each and every time Edward allowed his fingernails to rake gently over the other's scalp. Ciel liked it, and Edward liked causing the slightly dazed expression in his cousin's eyes. Idly, he tugged on the boy's hair and Ciel retaliated by biting down roughly.

Edward keened in pleasure, hands immediately—greedily—scrabbling for the buttons to Ciel's trousers, tempted to just rip the buttons away so that he could take the other teen's cock in hand and stroke until Ciel was rutting mindlessly against his palm, returning the favor for Edward—moving and messy and panting until they both found their orgasms in one another—

There was a quiet knock at the door.

"Bocchan, pardon the intrusion, but Lady Elizabeth would like to go over tonight's dinner menu with you before she sends it off to Bard," came Sebastian composed voice from the other side of the wooden barrier. He was fully aware of what the two had been doing behind those closed doors, could smell the desire and lust in the air, and it wasn't until he heard Ciel's order to come in that he finally stepped away and allowed Lizzie entrance.

"Oh, Ciel, I've got the best dinner planned for our first night together!" Lizzie giggled out before coming to a stop, surprised at seeing Edward still there. She shifted uncertainly, worried about that brief look she saw in her brother's gaze—perhaps she had imagined it?—before stepping forward to peck a kiss to his cheek. "…would you like to join us?"

"No, it's all right," Edward answered in reply, refusing the invitation with a demure, polite smile. "I just have several more business propositions to go over with your new husband, and then Ciel will come out and join you."

Placing the menu down upon Ciel's desk, Lizzie stole a quick kiss from said husband before once more pecking a kiss to Edward's cheek. "All right. But please don't be too long~" the blonde girl answered in reply, giving both a bright smile as she headed back out of the study.

"We won't," came Edward's answer as the doors once more closed shut.